For France's President Emmanuel Macron, the European Union must begin looking for ways to arm up its military forces to ensure the safety and security of the region and stop depending on the United States for protection.
In a speech addressed to an audience comprised of diplomats, lawmakers, and international relations experts, on Monday, the French head of state said he will propose a policy to the EU Council that would prompt the Union to boost its own security measures. A proposal of defense cooperation will also be put forward and that it will include the entire members of the bloc and Russia as well.
Macron, however, explained that cooperation with Kremlin should come under the condition that the Putin government will scale up on its efforts to mitigate the Eastern Ukraine crisis.
In his own words and as cited over at The Guardian, the 40-year-old politician said that Europe "cannot rely on the United States only for its security," reiterating that it is now up to the Union to fulfill its "responsibilities" and "guarantee" its own security.
Macron went on to criticise EU's apparent lack of control of its own sphere of influence saying that the Union is now "paying the price of several decades of a weakened Europe." Efforts of the organization must be redoubled.
EU countries, with Germany, France, and Belgium, in the lead, have long expressed their support in Macron's plan to boost the region's security. In November of last year, 23 of the 28 member states signed Macron's petition which addressed EU's safety.
Apparently, Macron wasn't the first to sound off the call for a reinforced European military cooperation. According to CNN, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas has been prompting European countries to "take an equal share of the responsibility" in keeping the region safe both from internal and external threats. The minister further proposed to Brussels for it to "form a counterweight" on Washington as the bloc's relation with the Western powerhouse continues to mellow down.
Meanwhile, Macron touched on the issue of the Syrian conflict which has been going on for years already. According to the leader, it would be a "grave mistake" for the EU to show its support for Bashar al-Assad. However, the sovereignty of the embattled country should still be respected. One of the ways cited by Macron is to allow Syrians to "express themselves."
At the mere age of 39, Macron is the youngest President of France in history.
